Sausage and Eggplant Baked Pasta

Sausage and eggplant come together with creamy ricotta and tangy parmesan cheese to create an Italian American comfort dish classic.

With a last name like Della Croce, (Italian for “of the cross”), it probably comes as no surprise that my Sicilian husband loves baked pasta dishes. Heck, he loves anything with pasta!

After living in Boston for nine years with easy access to the North End, we were very spoiled with authentic Italian food. With the exception of a few gems, Grand Rapids is very much lacking in the Italian department. We have countless options for real Mexican food or homemade pho but when it comes to Italian food, your meal will most likely come with unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks.

To lighten up the classic Southern Italian dish, I bulked up the pasta with meaty eggplant so I could use less sausage. White pasta is swapped for the whole wheat variety to add protein, fiber and nutrients. Instead of mozzerella, the dish is topped with parmiggiano reggiano which is salty, nutty and full of flavor. The more pungent the cheese, the less you need. Fresh herbs are added at the end to brighten the flavor for minimal additional calories.

Bottom line? My version has 355 calories vs 950 calories in the restaurant classic. You’ll also save over 31 g of fat and 15 g of sat fat.

According to my calculator, you’ve just earned yourself another glass of (red) wine.

I think you’ve inspired me to make a baked Italian dish for tonight! We just scored a bunch of ricotta, mozzarella and veggies, so this sounds perfect. And normally I love eggplant, but since zucchini is what we’ve got, I’ll grill some of that and do a variation on this recipe

Turned out great! Even with the entire bag of pasta. We have LOTS of leftovers in the freezer. I’m excited to try it again in the future with only 6 oz, because I’m sure it will taste entirely different.

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Focusing on seasonal ingredients and whole foods, my collection of over 750 recipes are inspired by ethnic flavors from around the world and the Middle Eastern dishes of my childhood. My professional travel background and a strong case of wanderlust has taken me across 33 states and 26 countries to date. A modern, balanced approach to healthy living is my secret to maintaining long-term weight loss success. Learn More →